"This is not easy to say," a choked-up Ann said this morning, as her co-stars Matt, Natalie Morales and Al Roker sat on the sofa next to her. "This is going to be my last day as a regular co-host of Today. I will still be part of the TodayShow family, but I'm going to have a new title and a new role."

Ann explained that she will roam the world for NBC, reporting on breaking news, something we all know she is very good at.

"This is not how I expected to ever leave this couch after 15 years, but I am so grateful, especially to all of you who watch," Ann, 55, continued with tears in her eyes as she addressed her fans. "Because Matt and I and everyone who sits on this couch, we often call ourselves a family, but you are the real Today Show family. I have loved you and I have wanted to give you the world. And I still do."

And in a heartbreaking moment, Ann, who was obviously blindsided by her sudden departure from the morning show she's considered home for over a decade, ended with, "To those of you who saw me as a groundbreaker, I am sorry that could not carry the ball across the finish line – but, man, did I try."

Reportedly, Ann, who took over for Meredith Vieira when she left last year, will be succeeded by 9 a.m. anchor Savannah Guthrie.